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Abandoned Cool Stores
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
This photo is taken from the Western bank of the Patea River looking over to the abandoned Cool Stores and Wharf, the banks of the river are very muddy and while I was there I watched a couple of the locals spearing flounder along the mud-banks. As the notes below indicate the wharf and port closed in 1959 although the freezing works continued to operate for some time after that, trucks and train were used to transport out the goods. The train tracks run to the rear of the cool stores.
Patea is the second-largest town in South Taranaki, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Patea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Wanganui on State Highway 3. Hawera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east. The Patea River flows through the town from the north-east and into the South Taranaki Bight.The town's name is pronounced approximately as "pah-tay-uh".
Patea, called Carlyle for a time by European settlers, was originally nearer the Patea River mouth than the present town.
During the New Zealand land wars Patea was an important military settlement. General Cameron's force arrived at the river mouth on 15 January 1865 and constructed redoubts on both sides of the river.
Patea became a market town when hostilities ended. The first of the sections on the present town site were sold in 1870. A local shipping company was established in 1872, and harbour improvements began.
In the 1920s Patea was the largest cheese exporting port in the world. The Grader Cool Store received cheese for grading from all over South Taranaki and as far south as Oroua Downs near Himatangi. After grading it was loaded into coastal ships at the grader wharf for transport to Wellington where it was transhipped into overseas ships for export.
Patea port closed in July 1959. |
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Hi Ralph,
The word 'cool store' sends shivers down my spine, after what happened not so long ago with the fires. A very nice shot, has a great mood to it. Superb POV across the still water, nice ripply reflections too. Some very small parts of the clouds are a bit OE but it's not overly noticeable due to the dark buildings. Well photographed.
TFS,
Scott.
Great location. I'd love to pose a model there. :)
I tried a WS to add some drama and deal with that slightly overexposed sky - a very simple one, but you might like it.
Rew
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